For decades, renowned Connecticut photographer-artist Jack McConnell has relied on his talented eye, photo lenses and the use of natural and artificial light to build his name and an extensive portfolio of commercial and artistic images.
For decades, renowned Connecticut photographer-artist Jack McConnell has relied on his talented eye, photo lenses and the use of natural and artificial light to build his name and an extensive portfolio of commercial and artistic images.
On opening night Aug. 13 for his “Parallax'' exhibit at the 100 Pearl St. Gallery of extremely colorful and up-close portraits of many of downtown's most recognizable buildings and landmarks, the Wethersfield resident shared what he says is his next big idea to benefit downtown Hartford.
McConnell wants to light up downtown. Or, more precisely he wants to mount a campaign to urge as many of downtown Hartford's commercial landlords as possible to uplight their buildings.
He also wants to see strands of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) stretched overhead across streets and pedestrian crossings, or wrapped around tree trunks or strung through branches — a la the lighted streetscapes of cosmopolitan cities like Paris and New York's Times Square.
Doing so, he says, would not only showcase much of the unique and eye-catching architecture and façade layouts along Main, Trumbull, Pearl and other downtown streets, but would make those streets safer by reducing shadows and dark spots and encouraging more pedestrian traffic.
He points to the high visibility at night for the up-lit State Capitol overlooking Bushnell Park, along with the Connecticut Convention Center on Columbus Boulevard, and the Hartford Marriott Hotel next door.
— Gregory Seay
